Music videos, a puzzle and a Newsletter or two!
That will keep you from eating all that Halloween candy all at once.
Good afternoon readers and residents of Norwich and beyond,
I have many readers who have elementary school age children and therefore like to receive the Marion Cross School newsletter. I also have others who had children that attended and have now grown and have moved away but they and or their parents like to still know what is going on in the school today. They send me e-mails asking that I keep them informed. There are several organizations that ask if I can share their newsletter happenings with my readers and I do on occasion include them as well.
I personally think the newsletters offer a lot of information for whatever an organization is about and also what is going on in the community. I have shared these newsletters with my readers which contain save the date info for upcoming events and the feedback that I receive is positive.
In an effort to accommodate all, I try to add in other items of interest like a puzzle and maybe a little music so today it is the two Newsletters, your puzzle and a few music videos to entertain you. Enjoy!
Here is the weekly puzzle and a newsletter from Cam Cross also.
Westboro Rail Yard
Daniel Webster: “It is altogether new. The world has seen nothing like it before.”
Nov 1
Here’s this week’s puzzle, a look back to 2024’s: Westboro Rail Yard
“The West Lebanon rail yard was the western terminus of the Northern Railroad. It was initially equipped with a 130’ completely circular stone roundhouse with a stone cupola and stone machine shop. During the Boston & Maine’s operation, the stone roundhouse was removed and replaced by a new, brick building in 1890. About 1929 the B & M erected a third roundhouse which was later expanded and then partially removed as needs changed. At its peak in the early 20th century the yard also included a machine shop, sand house, heating plant, freight houses, section house, bunk house, tenements, garage, fan room, shanty and storehouse.”
(From: Northern Railroad Survey)
Historic Photo of the Westboro Yard
Rewarding and fascinating reading:
Daniel Webster’s Speech at the ribbon cutting
Wikipedia article on the Northern Railroad
BONUS PUZZLE: Another view of South Main St, WRL added to:
White River Junction, circa 1909
Jul 31
132 South Main St., White River Junction, VT.
Cameron Cross
The Curioustorian
Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
© 2025 Cameron Cross
548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104
Let’s start off with a A message from Chad Finer- and” Music in the Upper Valley” and then some music for you to enjoy followed by the newsletter.
If you are a musician - maybe being recorded (video and audio) Upstairs at
Dan & Whits in Norwich might interest you.
I have been recording music performances in the Upper Valley since 2016.
Many recordings I have done have captured public performances of music in
venues all around our area. Since 2020 a number of recordings have been
done in the historic Upstairs of Dan & Whits. The Upstairs is an informal
site, with good acoustics, and if not too busy, plenty of space to
accommodate the recording of some tunes, some songs, and maybe even a small
band. My preference has been to record acoustic instruments - guitar,
banjo, fiddle, flute, harmonica, ukulele - both personal pieces as well as
covers. Musicians have enjoyed the sessions.
The sessions tend to run about an hour - give or take. They involve a set
up (by me) of microphones, audio recorder, and several well-placed video
cameras. There is no stress - sessions are informal - you decide if you are
pleased with what you’ve done - and the performance can be repeated until
we’re both pleased with what you’ve done.
Post-production: all sessions are edited (by me) - both the video and audio
- and then sent to you to download, edit, and to use as you want.
These sessions are FREE - and I do not make any money from this. All
previous sessions have also been posted on my channel
https://www.youtube.com/@chadfiner-musicintheuppervalle/videos for anyone
with interest in what I have been up to. Some sessions have been posted on
local listservs - these have been very popular.
My purpose is documenting, and archiving the valuable, and wonderful music
being performed in our Upper Valley area - this all for others to listen
to, watch, and enjoy.
There’s a great treasure of music performance here - worthy of publicizing.
So - if you are a musician - and would like to give this a try - contact me
and we’ll set up a time. Give it a try.
Chad Finer
Music in the Upper Valley
These music videos were recorded by Chad Finer for your listening pleasure
13. MUSIC IN THE UPPER VALLEY - ERIN ASH SULLIVAN - full set at the Anonymous Coffeehouse in Lebanon, New Hampshire recorded on October 24, 2025
From: Chad <chad.finer@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:31:48 -0400
ERIN ASH SULLIVAN with Grace Morrison - at the Anonymous Coffeehouse in
Lebanon recorded on October 24, 2025
Chad Finer/Music in the Upper Valley
14. MUSIC IN THE UPPER VALLEY - FEZ SILK - recorded at the Anonymous Coffeehouse in Lebanon, New Hampshire on September 27, 2025
From: Chad <chad.finer@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2025 22:54:30 -0400
FEZ SILK - at the Anonymous Coffeehouse in Lebanon - recorded on September
27, 2025
Chad Finer/Music in the Upper Valley
13. MUSIC IN THE UPPER VALLEY - SPENCER LEWIS with Pappy Biondo & Eric Graham - recorded at the Plainfield Vermont Opera House on March 16, 2025
From: Chad <chad.finer@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:16:38 -0400
SPENCER LEWIS with Pappy Biondo & Eric Graham - “May It Always Be So” -
recorded at the Plainfield Opera House on March 16, 2025
Chad Finer/Music in the Upper Valley
And now that you had a chance to listen to the music, check out this weeks newsletter
Important Dates
Friday, November 7 - PTO Meeting, 8:15 - 9:15am, MCS Multi
Tuesday, November 11 - Holiday, School Closed
Thursday, November 13 - Curriculum Night - Math Focus, 5:30 to 6:30pm
Wednesday, November 26 - Friday, November 28 - Holiday, School Closed
Wednesday, December 10 - Grades K to 2 Holiday Concert, 5:00 to 6:00pm
Thursday, December 11 - Grades 3 to 6 - Holiday Concert, 6:00 to 7:00pm
Marion Cross School Website Calendar SAU 70 All School/District Website Calendar
Message From The Principal
Happy Halloween!
There certainly was a lot of Halloween excitement in the air today. Considering that, we had a wonderful day. Yesterday was our annual Halloween REP where classes sang songs and read poems related to the holiday. We finished off the time with staff members participating in two Minute to Win It activities. Mrs. Gentine showed her true talent when she very quickly devoured a doughnut hanging from a string, with hands behind her back. I was lucky enough to be wrapped as a mummy by two very skillful students. To me, we had just enough Halloween themed fun at school and left the business of costumes and candy for tonight! As a parent, I was always excited for the portion of Halloween loot that my children were willing to share with the chauffeur!
Governor’s School Safety Conference
On October 28, several members of our Marion Cross School Safety Committee traveled to Killington to participate in the Governor’s School Safety Conference. This statewide gathering brought together educators, public safety partners, and mental health experts to share best practices and strengthen Vermont’s commitment to keeping schools safe. Our team—Rachael Coleman, Jane Glick, Jeffrey Slayton, Karen Wright, Director of Curriculum & Instruction Lauren Amrhein, and I—heard from keynote speaker Michele Gay of Safe and Sound Schools, who emphasized the power of coordinated, community-wide approaches to school safety. We also attended sessions on emergency preparedness, early mental health support, behavioral threat assessment, and de-escalation strategies.
A key takeaway for us was strengthening our understanding of behavior risk and threat assessment—an approach that helps schools proactively identify concerns and provide the right supports early. As a next step, members of our team will be completing Level I Behavioral Threat Assessment training in November. We are committed to continuing to refine our systems to ensure that Marion Cross remains a safe, supportive, and caring environment for every child.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Shawn
School News and Information
Family Math Night is Coming!
Join us for the 3rd Annual MCS Family Math Night on Thursday, November 13, from 5:30–6:30 p.m. in the MCS gymnasium!
Families of all ages are welcome to come play math games, enjoy pizza and drinks, and connect with MCS teachers, administrators, and math interventionists.
We’re excited to once again partner with the MCS PTO and the Dartmouth College Department of Mathematics to make this a fun, learning-filled evening for everyone.
We hope to see you there!
New After-School Tabletop Game Club!
Does your child love board games? Have they ever dreamed of designing their own? Students in grades 4–6 are invited to join Ms. Van Ells and Ms. Eastman for our new Tabletop Game Club! We’ll spend the first few weeks exploring a wide range of board and card games as players, then take on the challenge of becoming game creators ourselves.
The club will meet for eight weeks on Thursdays from 3:15–5:00 PM, starting November 6 and ending January 15 (with the possibility of extending).
Space is limited, so don’t wait! If your child is interested in joining, please email Caitlin Eastman to reserve a spot.
What’s Happening Outside? LEEEP News
Did you know that Halloween has its roots in human observances of dwindling light and other seasonal changes in the natural world? October 31st marks the midway point between the fall equinox and the winter solstice and has been celebrated by many cultures for millennia.
To celebrate here at MCS, kindergarteners planted tulips, daffodils, and alliums that will sleep (in their jammies:) all winter before waking with the warmth and light of spring.
In first grade, we learned that this marked the beginning of the storytelling season for many indigenous peoples, and we enjoyed gathering, as our ancestors did, to share stories around a fire.
In second grade, we spent the first frosty mornings looking for seeds and carefully observing how they work to enable seed dispersal. We will use our detailed scientific drawings for our upcoming biomimicry engineering challenge. Ask your 2nd grader to share some examples of biomimicry and how we can learn so much from our teachers in nature by being outside, being present, and being curious.
In 3rd grade, we wrapped up our study of evolution by natural selection by looking at the spooky and fascinating adaptations of owls and comparing skull morphology to determine if a skull belonged to a predator or prey, herbivore or carnivore, an animal with strong jaws and/or a strong sense of smell.
In 4th grade, we are getting ready for a favorite annual trip to observe animals that are definitely paying attention to seasonal change… the very busy beavers! Next week will be visited by MCS alum, beaver expert, and National Geographic Storytelling fellow, Ronan Donovan.
Lastly, in our Halloween-themed learning, 5th graders are wrapping up our study of energy in the ecosystem by dissecting owl pellets to determine what animals are significant in the barn owl’s diet.
In the school food world, we hosted Cat Buxton in a “Compost Like the Kids Do” workshop. If you want to support composting at MCS, please reach out. There are lots of ways to help, including “turning and learning”, which combines physical fitness, microbiology, and community service in one organically scented package!
This week, we had a great meeting with interested parents and community members to plan and seek resources to support Ms. Alicia and continue efforts to make school food as delicious, nutritious, and sustainable as possible. For their part, 5th graders processed a giant bag of carrots from Crossroads Farm! We’ve been connecting with local farms, seeking funding sources, and composting like it’s going out of style!
Reach out if you’d like to share your time and talents.
Get outside and stay curious~
Chrissy
Christiannamorley@hanovernorwichschools.org
PTO Bulletin Board
Happy Halloween! Many thanks for the generous donations to the PTO’s annual community candy collection. Candy has been distributed to in-town homes that are expected to host 500+ trick-or-treaters this evening.
On the PTO communications front, we’re excited to share that the MCS PTO website and newsletter are getting a fresh new look! You’ll find it easier than ever to stay updated on events, volunteer opportunities, and other ways to get involved. Stay tuned for the launch! We will send a newsletter with the website VERY soon to all families who have opted in to receive PTO communications. Please make sure your information is up to date in the MCS PTO Family Directory if you would like to receive our emails.
EVENTS
PTO Meeting - Friday, November 7 - 8:15 to 9:15 am, MCS Multipurpose Room
Join us for our next PTO meeting focused on fundraising. This is a great opportunity to learn more about our current and future fundraising plans, share your ideas, and help shape events that support our school community. We’ll discuss goals, explore new ideas, and answer questions about how funds are used or how to get involved. Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer or just curious to learn more, we’d love to have you join us.
Family Math Night - Thursday, November 13 - 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Family Math Night is an opportunity for MCS families to come together, learn various math games that reinforce concepts being taught at school, and engage with MCS administrators, teachers, and math interventionists. The event is co-sponsored by the Department of Mathematics at Dartmouth and supported by the PTO. Please email marioncrosspto@gmail.com if you’re interested in volunteering.
November Food Drive
The MCS PTO will hold a food drive for The Haven in November. The Haven regularly posts a list of its most-needed items. We have chosen Mac & Cheese for our donation item this year. Please drop donations in the box at the entryway of the school. Items will be brought to The Haven weekly. Thank you for supporting our community!
Fall Feast - Thursday, November 20
The PTO organizes an annual Fall Feast —a delicious lunch buffet—showing our thanks to the MCS teachers and staff before the Thanksgiving break. For the Fall Feast, we ask families with students in Pre-K through 3rd grade to volunteer to provide food and drinks. We also organize a Valentine’s Day breakfast in February, supported by families with students in 4th through 6th grade. We’re looking for volunteers to help organize the event in November. Please email us at marioncrosspto@gmail.com if you’re interested.
Wishing you a fun and safe Halloween night and a great weekend!
Courtesy Community Interest Posts
22 Church Street
Norwich, Vermont
802-649-1703
Wow, the part about combining puzzles, music, and newsletters really stood out to me. It's a clever approach to engagement, almost like a multi-modal content delivery system. It's always a challenge to hit all the notes, but it's grate you're trying to reach everyone. Keeping community informed is key.